On June 18, 2013, the Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee held a hearing presided over by Chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA) titled “More Spending, Less Real Help: Reviewing How Today’s Fragmented Welfare System Fails to Lift Up Poor Families.” The hearing focused on the effectiveness of current safety net programs in serving low-income families. The FFCC submitted this statement on the importance of safety net and work support investments for child well-being.

On March 20, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing presided over by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) titled “Building an Immigration System Worthy of American Values.” The hearing focused on the high cost exacted by our immigration system on families, on civil liberties, and on human dignity. The FFCC submitted this statement urging congress to reform our immigration laws so that they promote the best interests of all our nation’s children, including unaccompanied immigrant children, and protect the due process rights of parents involved in immigration proceedings.

The First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this testimony for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s March 18, 2013, hearing on “How Comprehensive Immigration Reform Should Address the Needs of Women and Families.”